Watashi Wa Kaichō To Koi Ni Yo (I'm in Love with the President)
by Ella Red
Summary: AU. Tachibana Rin is a transfer student in a very prestigious school. She happens to unexpectedly fall in love with the school's Student Council President, the snob and proud Takahashi Sesshomaru. Read along at how she tries (and fails) to ignore her feelings, especially when she keeps on running into him. Read and review. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Spring signifies the beginning of life after a long winter. For high school freshmen, it also signifies the beginning of their high school life, a time in their lives that is filled with experiences and much enjoyment.

16-year old Rin Tachibana entered the gates of Seibu-ryo Gakuen, home of the best and the brightest of the westernlands. Having just graduated from a less prestigious middle school from the neighboring domain, she spent extra hours studying even outside of cram school to get into the academy with a full scholarship. Only a handful of students are admitted into the academy this late into their education, having to boast holistic high-standard formation as early as Pre-K years, accepting students already going into high school may pose threats on the standards that the school upholds.

For high school admission, a student undergoes 5 written exams on the subjects of Math (Basic Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Pre-calculus), Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy), Languages (English, Japanese, Mandarin, French, and Spanish), History (Japanese, European, and world), and Social Knowledge (Literature, Art, Music, Dance, Politics, Logic, and Gastronomy). Apart from the written exam, a practical exam composed of 5 subjects namely, Etiquette (Table and Social), Dance (Social, Traditional, and Ballet), Languages (Conversational), Japanese Traditional Arts (Ikebana, Origami, and Chanoyu), and Mastery of each of a Japanese and western Musical Instrument.

After passing a total of 10 exams, a final admission interview is conducted, presided by the Academy's Council of Admissions, making sure that the future student is not only objectively competent, but also has the subjective competency of having grace under immense pressure.

On top of all of that, in order to be granted full scholarship, the student must pass all examinations with a score of no less than 95% and must be recommended by the council. As if getting admitted wasn't hard enough.

Although Rin's grandmother who raised her is more than capable enough to pay for the school fees, she opted to apply for full scholarship in order to gain some sort of footing in a new and unfriendly environment. Besides the fact that Seibu-ryo gets few transferees, even fewer than that gets to last the whole year, let alone graduate, due to the pressure and the hostility of pre-existing students. Transferees are viewed as outsiders and are therefore often welcomed with inhospitality. Getting in with a full scholarship cements her capability and proves her worthy of being treated as an equal, despite being an outsider.

Despite all this careful planning, and her no-bullshit-don't-mess-with-me-oozing-with-confidence attitude, she still nervously made her way across the main courtyard towards the Academy's main office to check herself in for the semester. She can only imagine all the things in store for her in the new life ahead of her.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Rin nervously smoothened her uniform's coat and skirt as she silently waited in front of the Faculty room for her class's homeroom teacher. After the Opening Ceremony conducted earlier in the day, she was instructed to wait for the teacher who will introduce her to the class, she being the only new student for the entire high school department.

She leaned against the wall beside the door while she held her schoolbag with both hands in front of her. She opened the door expecting to see her homeroom teacher, only to be surprised by the sight of the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His beautiful silver hair, that seems to shine whenever the light touches it, is cropped in a very modern and neat manner with a couple of few long strands braided and left to hang and fall over his chest.. Magenta-colored lines streaked across both his cheeks, and a blue crescent moon marking signifying that he is descended from a line of Daiyokai. Sure enough, it wasn't the homeroom teacher since he was wearing the high school department's uniform and he didn't look like he'd be anywhere near 20 anytime soon.

Momentarily, she has forgotten the gnawing feeling on her nerves and just earnestly took in the beauty right before her very eyes. Rin may have been staring for too long since when her brown eyes met with his golden ones, they were filled with interest and inquisition, as if asking with his gaze "what are you looking at?". They stared at each other for a few fleeting seconds that felt like an eternity for Rin, and was only interrupted by the appearance of the very homeroom teacher she was waiting for.

"Ah, Tachibana-san, it seems you have already met the Student Council President, Takahashi Sesshomaru. If you have any questions about campus life, he is the best person to ask about it." The homeroom teacher introduced.

Rin bowed while saying "Tachibana Rin. Hajimemashite. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

The President only looked at her bowed head and let out a stern "hn" to acknowledge her greeting and introduction. With a nod to the teacher and without even uttering a single word, the beautiful Student Council President left, leaving Rin staring at his broad retreating back.

She was pulled out from her thoughts of the President's back when her name was called. The teacher, which she learned was named Sangaku Yuki, then led her to her class's homeroom to be introduced. Sangaku-sensei went into the room first, he greeted the class and began introducing her to the class.

When she heard her name being called, she walked into the room, careful not to pan-gaze around what she can only imagine as predatory stares while she kept a slow and steady pace with her steps. She kept her head straight, mindful to keep her eyes only on the teacher, until she reached the middle of the room where she had to face the class in order to bow and say the courtesy greetings.

She did all these in a perfect, trance-like manner, something that seems to be rehearsed to perfection over and over. She only came back to reality when the teacher spoke to her.

"Ah, Tachibana-san, you may now take your seat behind Higurashi-san." He said gesturing to an empty seat behind a girl with black hair whom she guesses to be Higurashi-san.

She walked to her assigned seat and as she moved, she could feel the eyes of the people in the room follow her. She sat on the seat and hung her bag at the hook on the side of the table and brought out her books to be placed under her desk. She did all these while making the least possible noise. When she finally looked up from her little tasks, she saw a pair of eyes staring at her, together with a very wide grin. Rin blinked to wash away the shock she just felt and she heard a giggle.

"Tachibana-san, I'm Higurashi Kagome. You can call me Kagome-chan. It's so nice to finally meet you. I heard you got in with a full scholarship. You must be really smart. Oh my gosh I feel like I'm doing all the talking here. I hope you don't think badly of me. I'm just really excited. We never get new people in our grade. You're our batch's first transferee since forever."

She continued to ramble on about not having transferees and her excitement everything.

"Yah, Kagome. Let the girl breathe. Don't smother her with enthusiasm." Said a voice from behind her.

She turned around to see a guy with braided long silver hair. For a moment, she thought it was the president, until she saw two cute white doggy ears above his head. She's only heard of hanyous but is yet too see one since they were considered a rarity in her hometown, since it was composed mainly of humans.

"Oh, that's Inuyasha. Don't mind him. He's just an airhead. I'm lucky you're here and I don't have to sit in front of him anymore like I did since Pre-K." Kagome said in a dismissive tone directed towards Inuyasha.

"Omae! Yah, Kagome. Why'd you call me an airhead?" Inuyasha said, evidently annoyed.

After that, an exchange of rather loud and insulting words ensued between the two. Rin helplessly watched, internally debating with herself whether she should stop both of them or just let them be. Besides, she barely knows them.

"They're always like that. Don't think it's your fault. You'll get used to it. Hitogoroshi Sango by the way." Said the girl next to Kagome.

"Yeah, you'd think they hated each other if you didn't know they've been friends since they were little children, or that they're actually dating. By the way, I'm Saishi Miroku." The guy sitting beside me, and behind the girl named Sango added.

Suddenly, she heard a loud slap and there was a red handprint on that guy, Miroku's, face. Shortly after she heard Sango utter the words "pervert" and "dirty old man".

Rin barely had the chance to say a single word to any of them but she already feels like her school days would never be boring.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, Ella here! Sorry I didn't greet you guys earlier. I've been enjoying the reviews you left. I'll make the future chapters longer than this and the previous ones, although if you'd like me to keep them short like this, just tell me in the reviews. I'll also try to upload chapters as often as I could, at least 2 chapters per week so don't forget to follow this story to get notified when it gets updated!**

 **Also I forgot to put disclaimers on the prologue and the first chapter, so here it is. I don't own Inuyasha nor any any of the characters. This story's plot is a product of my imagination, any similarities with previous works by other authors were not intentional.**

 **Happy reading!**

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Chapter 2

The first half of the day went by so quickly, before Rin could notice, it was already time for lunch. Feeling like the assertive girl that she is, she took out her bento and took a deep breath before tapping Kagome on the shoulder. A smiling Kagome turned to her seat and immediately noticed the bento on top of her desk.

"Ah! Tachibana-san, do you want to eat lunch with us?" Kagome asked her before she could speak.

"Ano, would that be okay? Also, you don't have to be so formal with me. You can just call me Rin."

"Hai hai, Rin-chi. Ikimashou, Sango-chi, Miroku-kun, Inuyusha-nobaka." Kagome said before taking out her own lunch and started heading for the door while ignoring Inuyasha's yapping about Kagome still being mad about not going Sakura viewing before the new semester started.

Rin followed them out of the room, a bit confused as to where they were going to eat their lunch. They first stopped by the room next to theirs and picked up two Okami before heading for the stairs. The rooms of the first years are located on the 4th floor of the 6-storey high school department building. They were already on the 6th floor when she realized they might be going to the rooftop for lunch.

They were just a few steps away from the stairs to the rooftop when a girl came running out of the hallway leading to the Janitor's closet that's next to the stairs. She was clearly crying and frustrated as her face was tinged red and there were visible tracks of fresh tears on her cheeks. Just a few moments after the girl ran out, a guy which happens to be the student council president came out of the same hallway, same nonchalant expression on his face from their encounter in the morning as if he didn't just come out of the same hallway as the crying girl.

He slowly walked towards their group, facial expression still unchanging except for the slight narrowing of his eyes that Rin realizes is directed at her. She slightly feels panic as he nears her spot and stopped in front of her. She looked at him with eyes full of questions, he also looked at her with a confused look.

"Girl, what do you think you are staring at? You're in my way, move." He commanded, breaking Rin out of her mind's own questions.

She moved to the side and for the second time that day, watched the president's retreating back. When he got a few feet of distance from where their group was, Inuyasha spoke in a very annoyed tone.

"Oi Sesshomaru. Do you make it your life's mission to scare every single girl in the world?"

Upon hearing Inuyasha speak, Sesshomaru stopped on his tracks and turned around to face them, expression still unchanging.

"Inuyasha, this is none of your concern. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. She was in my way, I just simply told her to get out of it."

Inuyasha slightly growled at him and said, "You ass. Couldn't you just walk somewhere else? And that crying girl, was she on your way too?"

Sesshomaru remained unfazed by Inuyasha's words, turned his back on the group then spoke.

"Don't go sniffing around my personal affairs. That girl was crying because of herself and I had no hand in it whatsoever. If a person expresses their disinterest and the other party cries, it certainly isn't the person's fault, is it. Now, I don't owe you nor your group of unwanted spectators any explanation towards my unquestionable behavior. If I may, I would like to continue on with my day and take my leave.

With that, he continued walking and Rin just quietly stared at his back yet again, feeling lost at how quickly the heated exchange between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru transpired.

"Che. Sesshomaru that arrogant bastard." Inuyasha said with disgust evident in his tone.

"He probably rejected that girl too. I can't believe someone's confessed to him already, and it's just the first day. It's amazing how girls keep on confessing to him despite the rumors about how he rejects girls. Girls who confessed to him before said that he can be really degrading when he rejects a girl. It's not enough that he says no, he even tells you all the reasons why he would never even consider you or give you a second glance. Rumor has it that there was even this one girl who had to undergo therapy after having been brutally rejected by him." Kagome said, speaking to no one in particular, as she gently stroked Inuyasha's arms that were entwined with hers, as if calming him, her previous mood towards him completely forgotten.

"Inuyasha, you still don't get along very well with your oniisan."

Rin stared wide-eyed at the male okami named Koga who spoke, and let out a louder than the normal volume and surprised "EH?". It was their turn to stare at her, as if asking her for an explanation to how that wasn't obvious in the first place.

"Ano, Inuyasha-san, is Takahashi-sempai really your oniisan? I mean, you did look alike a bit but…" she trailed off mid-sentence.

"Che. We have different mothers, but he really is my aniki. I can't stand him even more at school than at home. At least at home, he usually just keeps his arrogance to himself in order to not anger otousan." Inuyasha explained.

After a short period of silence, Kagome clapped her hands once to clear the air of awkwardness and said, "Now why don't we just forget about what happened here and eat our lunch at the rooftop, ne? Let's not waste this nice and sunny spring day."

With that, the seven of them continued their journey to the rooftop to have their lunch.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Don't worry, I don't usually put in author's notes. I just want to address Tay's comment. I'm really sorry if my updates are a bit slow. Rest assured that I'm going to try writing faster in order to update more frequently. To those enjoying the story so far, thank you so much! I hope I don't disappoint you in the future and that I get to meet all your expectations. Now back to the story.**

 **-Ella**

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Chapter 3

The day went on normally after lunch and no one dared to talk about what happened with Inuyasha's brother during lunch break. Today's last period is extended homeroom and the class gets to decide who gets to be the corresponding class representatives for all the year's curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Sangaku-sensei entered the class with a stack of papers on hand, a set of printed handouts on the different schedule and guidelines of the year's events such as breaks, exams, school trips, cultural festival, athletic week, etc. He started off by distributing the handouts to the class that was now buzzing with each of their own chatter about who should be the representative for this and that.

Sangaku-sensei asked the class to settle down as the last of the handouts reached the furthest row in the room. Some students still continued to chat about who best fits certain positions, even Kagome started chatting with Sango about who's who especially in their previous years in the academy. Rin on the other hand, as much as possible did not want to be mixed up in all the chatter. Being a new student, her knowledge on her classmates' abilities was a literal zero, besides the bits and pieces she was able to put together from Kagome's stories during the earlier lunch period.

At the thought of lunch period, Rin's mind already focused on the events that transpired near the staircase on the 6th floor. Somehow, she couldn't get the image of the president's beautiful golden eyes off her mind. In her head, his intense gaze towards her lasted more than the mere seconds when it actually happened. She suddenly realized that the president has been on her train of thoughts for the entire day despite having only said two sentences to each other. To her although their encounters lacked words, she felt like his gaze was able to utter a million words, and could command her attention without even having to blink.

Rin suddenly felt a blush slowly creeping on the apples of her cheeks. She tried to blink away the image of the president in her head. The sound of someone calling her name pulled her out of her musings.

"Tachibana-san?" Sangaku sensei said as he looked at her as if waiting for a reply.

"Ha-hai?" Rin answered hurriedly.

"Alright, it's decided then. Tachibana-san is the Class Representative for the Student Council and Public Morals Committee together with Higurashi-san. You should just decide amongst the two of you regarding the division of tasks."

Rin just stared at Sangaku-sensei, dumfounded. In front of her was Kagome with the most apologetic and guilty smile.

"Rin-chi, gomen ne. I tried to stop the class from nominating you, but you didn't object so I just volunteered to work with you so I can help you out. Let's work hard, ne." Kagome said as she tried to explain the situation. As she judged from Rin's expression, her mind was elsewhere and that she has very little idea about what just happened.

Rin smiled rather weakly, internally scolding herself for zoning off during class and getting herself in this kind of situation.

"Kagome-chan, shinpai shinaide. Let's both work hard together. Also, arigatou for helping me out. I hope I didn't cause you much trouble." Rin said apologetically.

"Eh, no need to be so formal, ne? Eto, aren't we friends? Of course, it's no trouble at all." Kagome said with a huge smile on her face.

Rin's smile turned brighter at the though of being able to make her first friends in her new school.

The rest of the class went on peacefully, and Sangaku-sensei dismissed the class when the bell rang. He called out Rin and Kagome to tell them for either of them to report to the Student Council room about their appointment as representative.

"Ano, Rin-chi, can you do student council, and I'll just do Public Morals Committee? I really can't stay after classes since I still have miko training and Public Morals Committee duties are in the morning while Student Council meets after class. Onegai, Rin-chi." Kagome said with eyes pleading to Rin.

"Hai hai, Kagome-chan. I'm not very familiar with school rules yet so I think I'll be a very ineffective Public Morals Committee member." Rin replied while slightly laughing at how serious Kagome was pleading to her.

"Kyaa! Arigatou ne, Rin-chi! You saved my ass! I really owe you one." Kagome half squealed, half spoke as she jump-hugged Rin before saying goodbye and leaving for her training with Inuyasha and the rest of the usual gang behind them, each saying their goodbyes before making it out of the room.

Rin gathered her stuff and started heading towards the Student Council room. Realizing she doesn't know where exactly to go, she took out the small map provided for her when she checked in and collected her school materials. Following the directions in the map, she learned that the Student Council room is in the second floor next to the library. Finally knowing where to go, she made her way down the nearest staircase and on to the second floor.

Not long enough, she found herself in the deserted hallway of the second floor, given that most students rushed to return to their homes or to attend special training at the other side of the campus grounds. She slowly approached the door of the Student Council room, debating with herself whether she should knock or not on the door that was already slightly ajar.

Before she could reach a final decision, she was pulled into the room by a strong pair of arms and she found herself trapped between the wall and a body towering hers within a matter of seconds. Without even looking at her captor's face, she already knew who he was, with the braided tail of his hair over the crisp white linen Oxford Shirt of the school uniform. He was so close that she could smell his scent through the opening near his loosened tie and undone top buttons of his shirt. Rin resisted the urge to inhale deeply and fully indulge herself in what seems to be a mixture of Vanilla and Sandalwood.

Her thoughts about his scent were halted when she heard an aggressive low growl, almost feral in a way, coming from him. He took her face with one of his hands while the other remained in it's place beside her shoulder, continuing to trap her in her place. He forced her face to look up towards him, his claws, though remaining tamed, slightly dug around the skin of her jaw. When she was finally looking up at him, he finally spoke in an accusing tone.

"Who really are you and who among my father's enemies sent you? They must be getting more stupid. Che. Sending a human to eliminate me, a careless, unguarded, and evidently untrained girl. Do they take the power of an Inudaiyokai so lightly?"

"Ano, Takahashi-kaichou, whatever do you mean by that? I'm class 1-2's Class Representative for Student Council, Tachibana Rin. We already met twice earlier today. What do you mean by which enemy sent me? I was sent here by Sangaku-sensei to report to this room as the newly appointed class rep."

Rin tried to explain as calmly as she could, and realized that this is definitely not the time to be relishing the closeness of their bodies and the fact that his scent is now lingering around her. The feeling of his claws slowly shifting from their hold of her jaw, sliding down to grab her by the neck, reminded her that he is an Inudaiyokai and that he wouldn't hesitate to snap her neck given the slightest of doubt on her character.

"Stop this nonsense. You have already been found out. You were lingering around me thrice today, you are the only transfer student for the year, and no one has heard of you nor your family before you applied for Seibu-ryo. Now tell me who sent you and I might think about not melting your neck off your body with my Dokkaso." Sesshomaru said as he tightened his grip on her neck.

Tears are now forming on the corners of Rin's eyes. She tried to take a deep breath in but that only moved the skin of her neck deeper into his claws, she could already feel a little bit of blood trickling down to her collar bone and is probably staining the collars of her white uniform shirt.

"Kaichou, gomennasai if I have somehow done something to anger you, but I assure you I am no assassin. Spare me my life, please. I was really only sent here by Sangaku-sensei to report my appointment as Class Representative. I'm begging of you, please release me."

Rin's tears already broke free from the corners of her eyes and streamed down her cheek, some of it dropping on Sesshomaru's hand clutching on to her neck. Without a single word, he withdrew his bloodstained claws and released Rin's neck. In a matter of few seconds, Rin already dropped sitting on the floor, clutching her bloodied and bruised neck, the body of Sesshomaru that was towering hers earlier already across the other side of the room. The sudden loss of warmth around her made her vulnerable to the skin-penetrating cold winds of late spring afternoons.

She may have been released by him but she can feel his piercing gaze still on her, as if she would lunge at him at any moment, as sudden as how he pinned her against the wall earlier. Her mind was a puddle of broken thoughts because of what just happened. She remained frozen in her position, unsure of what to do next, afraid that a single wrong move on her part would get her pinned right back on the wall and no longer get out of that chokehold alive.

She fumbled her pockets with her blood-stained hands, trying to find a handkerchief she was so sure she put in there earlier in the morning when she got dressed. She looked at her shaking hand holding the white handkerchief now stained with the blood from her hands. Her face made a terror-stricken expression at the sight of the blood, thinking whether any important blood vessels were hit by his claws, thoughts of dying from excessive blood loss struck her with panic, further draining the color from her face.

As if reading what was on her mind Sesshomaru spoke and said, "I avoided any important blood vessels if that's what you were thinking. I'm not as merciless as letting you die slowly from blood loss. If you would die, you die directly from my hands so you know exactly who killed you."

She looked up at him as she applied pressure on the places where his claws punctured on her neck. It was the first time she looked at him after he let go of her. Her brown eyes met his golden ones and for a brief moment, she felt like she was able to convey her sincerity through her eyes as she noticed a slight change in his gaze. This was the first time that he sincerely stared back at her, as if reading her very soul through her eyes.

He slowly walked towards her without breaking eye contact. Rin felt her back hit the wall behind her as she unconsciously moved backwards in an attempt to maintain the distance between them. He crouched in front of her and lifted her chin with one clawed finger, his gaze lingering on the wounds around her neck. She was once again surrounded by the scent of vanilla and sandalwood, although this time, it surprised her how much his scent relaxed her, despite what just happened.

She remained frozen as he touched her like that as if lost in a trance, only to be brought back by the feeling of her neck getting licked. She pushed him back, her appalled expression evident on her face. Despite her efforts, he refused to let go of her hold of her.

"What do you think you're doing? Is it not enough that you wounded me? Must you defile my body as well?" Rin accused.

He stared at her with a stern look and said, "Don't be too full of yourself, girl. I would rather die than want the body of a human. I am simply healing the wounds that are of my doing. If you want to go home looking like you were halfway-through getting mauled by a dog, then by all means, refuse this treatment. I am simply minimizing the damage here. Once my baka hanyou brother smells your blood on me and sees your wounds, my father would definitely hear of it."

Rin relaxed a bit after hearing that. She may have only known him for a day, yet she realized that he's not the type to apologize and thought that this was, in his own arrogant way, a form of apology. She removed her hands that were pushing against his chest and turned her head to bare the parts of her neck with the wounds to her neck and said a rather low and slightly quiet "arigatou".

He continued on licking the wounds on her neck and the ones on her jaw where he first grabbed her. When he was finished, she no longer felt the sting of the wounds, all that was left was the extra cold feeling on the skin that he tended to.

He got up and walked to the table in the middle of the room where his belongings were placed. He took out a blue scarf, tossed it to her and said, "Cover your bloodied collar with this. Tell no one of what happened here."

She wrapped the scarf around her neck and stood up from the floor. When she already got to her belongings that she dropped when she got pinned, Sesshomaru was already gone, leaving Rin wondering to herself if that really just happened. The scarf around her neck did not fail to remind her that she wasn't imagining any of it.

Feeling a cocktail of emotions, she silently made her way out of the student council room, thinking that she had one hell of a first day of school. She's left confused with the mixture of fear, relief and the numerous questions she had formed in her mind about what kind of person the student council president really is. She felt the cold air against her face as she walked home under the already darkening skies, her mind filled with thoughts about the person she has come to fear but not detest. All she knows is that she has to avoid him at all cost. How? She doesn't know yet, but she assured herself that she will come up with something. Curiosity brings nothing but mischief afterall.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry it took some time for me to update. I went on vacation** **with my family and it** **was strictly no laptops allo** **wed so I had to leave it at home. Any** **way, the ne** **w chapter is up and I'm going to try make it up to you guys by hopefully being able to upload at least three more chapters before the** **week ends. I already finished my research for all the elements of my story so I think** **writing** **would be much quicker from no** **w on. On to the story!**

 **-Ella**

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Chapter 4

It's been a month since Rin transferred to Seibu-ryo Gakuen and a month since her rather violent encounter with Takahashi Sesshomaru, the student council president. After that, she has resolved to keeping their interactions at the most minimal level possible. She has continued to ignore the nagging desire to know more about him, being convinced that there's more to him than the snob and arrogant façade that he puts up, not that she had any way of satisfying that desire either.

So far, she has succeeded in her trying to avoid any unnecessary contact with him or being in a room with just the two of them. Ever since that afternoon, she has made it a point that she hands in her daily report at the student council room before the building gets deserted. That encounter really was, to some degree, traumatic for her, but not enough to be terrified of him, and that completely puzzles her. Any other girl, person rather, in that exact same situation would have been completely terrified out of their wits. She was definitely scared and wishes it never happens again, and yes, she evades him at the moment, but only to prove to him that she means him no harm (as if she could actually deliver any fatal harm to him), but it doesn't stop her constantly growing curiosity of him.

Right now, it's almost the end of last period and Rin is getting ready to hand in her completed report for the day to the student council room. The bell rang and she was already on her feet and making her way out of the room when she was called by the teacher.

"Tachibana-san, Sangaku-sensei wishes me to tell you that you are to report to the counseling division for your monthly progress assessment today and that you must hurry to it now."

She said her thanks to her teacher and hurried back to her seat to get the forms for the assessment from her bag. She completely forgot that it was today and that she should've asked Kagome to hand in the daily report in her place before she went for training. She placed the report back on her desk and rushed to the counseling division.

When she got to the office of her counselor, she immediately sat on the couch opposite the desk and handed out her forms for the assessment. She quietly waited for her counselor to fill out the necessary information for the assessment while she internally panics about whether the counseling would take long. She had been fairly successful in her routine for a month, and would hate a repeat of what happened on the first day of classes if she hand in the report late today. On top of that, she hates going home late, given the fact that she lives on her own and lately she has been having this feeling that she was being watched and followed. She unconsciously tapped her foot in impatience which caught the attention of her counselor.

"Tachibana-san are you in any hurry? Has there been any problems with you adjusting from moving to the capital? Or perhaps any problems with your class and student council duties?"

Her counselor was a kind looking middle-aged lady but she is very sharp. Besides the fact that she is yokai, she has decorated the walls of her office with the proofs of her proficiency in her field, several diplomas and certificates from prominent learning institutions not just in the westernlands or other territories but overseas as well.

She thought about lying and saying that everything's great, but she would definitely catch on with the lie even before she says anything. Damn yokai and the way they smell the difference it makes when someone lies and she's not yet even the telepathic kind. She tried to find a wiggle room in her current situation and the different things that is happening in her life. She settled on giving out an edited version of the truth, leaving out the part where she was almost mutilated by the student council president.

"Ano, sensei, nothing has happened yet but, I feel like someone has been following me on my way home. No one has made contact yet and it might be just my imagination or paranoia since I live alone in the middle of the city, but, I feel like being cautious wouldn't hurt anyone, so I've been making it a point to go home before sun down or before it gets completely dark." She said as truthfully as she can, although she wasn't really lying when she said that. She just hopes she doesn't seem like she's hiding something.

"Hmmm. I see. Are you sure that's all? The administration is very aware that bullying is commonly experienced by transfer students that's why this monthly counseling has been enforced. Now, if you don't tell me anything, then I can't help you at all. Are you sure that your school to home commute is the only thing that's bothering you? We really can't do much about it but maybe you can start going home with friends."

"My class is very welcoming to me and I didn't find it hard to make friends for they have all been good to me. It's really just the big city move that's been a bit hard for me, it sometimes gives me unwanted paranoia. Other than that, I've been adjusting well especially with the lessons. The pace no longer overwhelms me. As for going home, my friends attend after school training and since my training is held on weekends, I make it a point to finish my schoolwork immediately so I can't wait for my friends to finish training." Rin responded as she tried to assure her counselor that everything's fine with her besides her stalker-scare.

"Well, if you say so. Anyway, according to your teachers, you've been performing well in your classes and the student council assures us that you are performing your duties well as class representative. Just keep up the good work and I will see you next month for our next session. I hope you would be less worried by then and that you get to resolve on your own whatever it is you are hiding from me."

Rin exited the counseling division and hurried back to her homeroom to retrieve her bag and the council daily report. She looked at her watch and realized that she was in counseling for an hour and a half. Walking out of the classroom, she exhaled rather loudly as she tried to calm herself down, very mindful now that she should do all the door lingering away from the student council room. She took light and slow steps on her way to the student council room as opposed to the heavy and fast beating of her heart.

A few feet away from the door, she saw the door was slightly ajar and the lights in the room were open, meaning that the president was most likely still there. She stopped in her tracks and looked at her bag which contained the president's scarf which she had no chance of returning yet since they were never alone (by choice) and had to keep the encounter a secret (as per his orders), but she still kept it in her bag anyway, waiting for the right moment to give it to him, she wondered if she should do it today.

She gave herself a mental push to continue walking to the office, not wanting to keep the president waiting. She was only a few steps away from the door when she heard voices coming from the room. Somehow, she felt relieved that the president wasn't alone. It sounded like it was the vice president, Kagami Kanna. She's as cold and even more quiet than the president. It surprised her that they were actually having a conversation, although she really couldn't hear what they were talking about. When she got closer to the door, she started hearing the conversation more clearly.

"-maru" Rin thought it was probably a fragment of the name of the president, although it surprised her that it was said in an almost whisper-like manner and that they were actually close enough for her to call him by his first name only.

She opened the door and she was shocked with the scene that welcomed her. Kanna was sitting on the conference table, her uniform's buttons undone, the president trailing kisses down her chest while she grabbed onto his hair and his hand under her skirt.

They looked at her at the sound of the door opening. She dropped her open bag and the contents spilled out on the floor. Despite the obviously embarrassing moment she had walked in on, the two people caught in the act did not show any signs of moving away from each other anytime soon, although the president stopped what he was doing and stood leaning against the table, his arms across his chest and Kanna did the same with her arms.

Them being so quiet is so not helping with Rin's nerves. She has somehow thrust herself in rather weird encounters with the president and she doesn't know if she's just the queen of bad timing or just plain old unlucky. She must have done something to piss off the gods. She hurriedly gathered her belongings on the floor, mindful to keep her head down, personally she doesn't want to catch another glimpse of the scene she just walked in on.

After shoving all her belongings on sight into her bag, she picked up the report and placed it on the table, still keeping her head down. "Gomen for submitting this late. I'll be going now." With that, she ran as fast as she could away from the student council room. When she reached her locker, she stopped to catch her breath. She could feel her heated up cheeks getting redder both from embarrassment and the running. Once her breathing normalized, she hurriedly changed to her outdoor shoes and made her way out of the building before she runs into them again. Although she doubts they would be done with whatever it was they were doing anytime soon. She blushed again at that thought and tried to shake her head in an attempt to make it go away.

Feeling like she's somehow calmed down from the earlier events, she realized she had to do some grocery shopping and since she was already going home late anyway, she decided it's better to do it now than buy convenience store food for dinner and anpan for lunch the next day.

She changed her direction from her usual route home to the supermarket that is around 3 blocks away from her apartment building. When she turned a street, she had this feeling again that she was being followed. She picked up her pace and turned to a street where there are generally more people. She continued walking and became more aware of her surroundings, checking whether she was still being followed. Feeling like she already lost whoever it was following her (if there were any), she continued to walk towards the supermarket, now a few streets further from where she is since she changed streets.

After a little over an hour, she went out of the supermarket, both hands holding two bags each. 'I think I may have bought a little too much, but eggs, beef, udon, and toilet papers were on sale.' Rin thought to herself. Satisfied with the amount she was able to save for her groceries, she happily walked home, her worry about her potential stalker momentarily forgotten.

The walk back to her apartment building took about 20 minutes. When she got to her door on the 10th floor, she heard her home phone ringing. She hurriedly opened her door and answered the phone.

"Moshi-moshi."

"Rin, since when did you start answering the phone like a commoner of inferior background and education?" The fierce and stern voice on the other line said.

Rin flinched as she heard the remark. She knows very well who the owner of the voice was. She lightly sighed in slight frustration at the thought of it.

"Obaa-sama, where did you get the number to my home phone? What is it do you need from me?" Rin said slightly annoyed.

"Do grandmothers only call their granddaughters if they need anything from them? Also, I got your home phone number from Shippo. How dare you give it to a lowly kitsune but not to your grandmother or any of your family? Anyway, I called you to tell you to reconsider your unreasonable decision. You are 16 already and the family expects you to perform your duties as a part of it. Not only did you decline to inherit Yamato-ryu and be sent to train in Urasenke, you also ran off to the west's capital, lived in your father's mother's okiya, transferred schools, lived on your own in a city you are foreign to, and on top of that, you refused to attend the marriage meeting with the town's temple abbot. You being a boumori would've brought great honor to the family and the Yamato-ryu. Why can't you just do what's good for the family?" her grandmother said in a tone full of accusation.

Rin felt a vein pop on her forehead. She doesn't know until when she could take all her grandmother's insults.

"You ask me to do what's best for a family who has abandoned me from the moment I was conceived. You drove my mother away from your house and stepped on my father's pride. You never once took a look at me since I was born, until you forcefully took me away, from my home the moment I turned 16, only for you to marry me off to some abbot I don't know. The only family I know is my grandmother, my father's mother, who took me in when I was five when my parents died. She has fed, clothed, and sent me to school, all while running a full time okiya in Shinmachi. Now I ask you, stop trying to contact me or bombarding Shippo who's my friend, or else I will have a restraining order on you. Goodbye."

With that, she put the receiver back down to the phone and sat on the floor next to the table that held it. She reached into her shirt and grabbed the locket that rested on top of her chest. She looked at the photo of both her deceased parents as if asking them if she's doing the right thing. For a long time since she moved to the capital, it just dawned on her that she felt lonely and somehow cornered. She wished she was back in her grandmother's okiya in Shinmachi, but she knew this was what she had to do to be able to become who she really wants to be.


	6. Chapter 5

**Oh my god. I can't believe it's been so long since I last updated. It was University fair week and I got so busy I didn't get to write at all! Plus I got sick after that so I only got to finish this chapter today! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I promise to upload more this week since I'm on a break after getting sick.**

 **-Ella**

* * *

Chapter 5

It's a fine Saturday morning in the west's capital city, the light cold breeze of late spring makes its way passed the light curtains of open windows, the soothing sound of the light mid-May rain pitter pattering as it made contact with the surface.

Amidst the relaxing atmosphere of a peaceful weekend, Rin, who's been awake even before the sun was up in the sky, felt the most chaotic at the moment. The past month, after she just moved to the city, she has been enduring it, although it was really tough. She has expected that it wouldn't be easy, although for reasons she couldn't even begin to imagine when she just decided she would go through with her plans. She always thought she would be bullied by her classmates for being a transfer student, and that was the only thing she had prepared herself for. It turns out, that worry of hers would be non-existent, and a whole different brand of problems awaited her. So far, she was able to deal with the "Kaichou problem" and the home sickness she feels with only a little bit of difficulty. But the phone call she received the night before had somehow triggered some of the repressed feelings she had had before coming to the city.

She sat on her bed with her back against the wall, her head resting on her knees as she hugged her legs close to her body. She's been in that position for almost three hours already, and she remained unmoving as memories that came with the feelings came flooding back to her. She pulled out of her thoughts when her phone started ringing. It was the alarm set for her to get ready to go to the dojo for her training.

'I don't really want to go to the dojo today.' She thought to herself as she reached for her phone on the nightstand to turn off the alarm.

She let out a heavy and long breath as she made the move to put the phone back to her nightstand all the while contemplating whether she would send a message to her dojo's master and tell her she's feeling a bit under the weather and should not train, or just suck it up like the proper adult she's trying to prove herself to be and get her ass to training. She would very much rather choose the latter but in her present state of mind, her focus would be somewhere else and she would just get a ton of scolding if she pushes through with training. With a decision in mind, she withdrew her arm from its earlier outstretched position and started texting her dojo's master.

It took less than a minute for the dojo's master to reply with a short and simple "Get well soon then. You can take the time off tomorrow as well."

She sighed as she read the message, still feeling so lost in the pool of emotions she's currently drowning herself in. She was getting to returning her phone on her nightstand again to continue her sulking when her phone rang. She thought it was her master but when she looked at the caller ID, she saw that it was Kagome. Suddenly, she was puzzled as to why her friend would be calling her so early on a Saturday. Realizing she wouldn't get answers by just staring at her caller ID, she pressed answer and placed the receiver on her ear.

"Moshi moshi, Kagome-chan"

"Ah, Rin-chi, we know you have trainings on weekends but we're just wondering maybe you'd like to come with us for the weekend to Nara. Inuyasha's otousan is hosting a benefit gala tomorrow night for the annual Takigi O-Noh, and the gang is coming along with their parents to participate so it would be great if you could come! Also, since it's a school holiday on Monday, we get to stay in Nara for from today until Monday afternoon! Everything's paid for by Inuyasha's otousan so you don't have to worry about anything." Kagome said gleefully through the phone.

"Ano, Kagome-chan, you see-" Rin was cut off mid-sentence again by an overly enthusiastic and pleading Kagome.

"Rin-chi, onegai. We even get to stay in the Takahashi rest house in Nara! It's got its own open-air onsen which would be really good in cleansing our aura before we prepare for mid-terms. Ne, won't you take it from a miko?" Kagome continued as she worked on selling the idea to Rin.

Rin didn't want to go out of her apartment today that's why she called in sick for training. Although the sound of onsen and spiritual cleansing is somehow very appealing to her. Her obaa-chan who raised her would often let her soak in the okiya's indoor onsen whenever she feels troubled. Somehow, she feels like this trip was just what her mind needs. A change of scenery away from the bustling capital to the countryside of Nara does sound inviting and it may actually calm her nerves.

She sighed rather loudly in defeat then said to Kagome, "Fine. I'm going. What time do we leave? I do need to pack so I might need some time."

"Yaaay! Rin-chi daijoubu. We don't leave until before lunch time so you have plenty of time. We'll just pick you up from your apartment, ne? See you!"

With that, Kagome hung up the phone leaving an overwhelmed but somehow relieved Rin sitting on her bed, wondering about what she should do first. Her plans for the weekend took a complete 180, it originally being she holes up in her apartment, sulking until she eventually thinks of a solution for her predicament. Now she's just agreed to go on a trip with her new friends that would take up the entire weekend.

She headed to her closet and took out her white and black rectangular duffle bag that she used to use for light travelling when her obaa-chan took her to Gion for the annual Matsuri. She looked around her closet and took out a few casual outfits, some sleepwear and some underwear. When she thought she was done packing, she realized she was going to a benefit gala and had to bring appropriate evening wear. She opened her closet that she just closed and scanned the area on the far corner of her closet where clothes in garment bags were neatly hung. She settled her eyes on a black, off-shoulder, elbow-length sleeved, sweetheart neckline long gown that hugs the top and the torso and flows freely just from mid-thigh level where the slit begins, and a low, wide v-shaped back neckline. It was fairly new since she only wore it once, when she was introduced to the business partners of the Yamatos (her mother's family). She took the matching pair of muted silver sandals and clutch adorned with crystal dust as accent and placed them in her duffle as she hung the gown outside her closet door.

She grabbed a few accessories including a simple diamond drop earing, a diamond crusted bangle bracelet, and the small silver Tachibana Kuge crest ring, and some hair stuff including some hair pins, bobby pins, and a backpiece that matched the silver motif of her accessories. She tossed in some make-up, hairspray, and a pouch of her travel-sized toiletries. She took one more look at her now filled duffle bag and zipped it up once she was satisfied.

She went out of her room straight to the kitchen and grabbed the box of cereals on the shelf and poured some into a bowl before grabbing and pouring in the milk from the fridge. She took her bowl to the free surface of the island counter of her kitchen and sat on one of the tall bar stools. She took her time eating her breakfast, thinking that it would be her last few moments of silence before the weekend.

She willed herself to think about other things besides the still-irking-her-to-death phone call from her Mother's mother. She tried to recount the things that happened before she got that phone call. She went grocery shopping, they were on sale so she got a lot of stuff for a cheaper price, yadda yadda yadda. She remembered she felt like she was being watched and followed. Then a thought struck her. She was suddenly faced with the memories from the student council room.

She remembered so clearly how they looked, what they were doing, and how they looked at her as if she was the biggest nuisance in the world. She remembered how white Kanna's skin looked against the rosiness of the president's lips. It was like ume hana blooming in the middle of winter. She tried to push back the thoughts that were now forming in her mind. She remembered how disgusted he sounded when he said he would never desire a human like her. She also remembered about all the different rumors about him brutally rejecting anyone who confesses to him. Somehow, it was making sense to her bit by bit. Of course, the seemingly perfect Sesshomaru Takahashi only settles for perfection of the same caliber. That thought seems to tug at Rin's heart lightly, why though, she doesn't know.

She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head thinking that an empty mind is better than trying to fill it with distractions that would just end up worsening the current situation. She gulped down the milk and the few remaining cereals floating about and proceeded to putting away the dishes she used. After that, she went back to her room and grabbed her towel right before checking the time on her phone's screen and heading out again for the bathroom to take a shower.

She took the shower rather quickly, trying so hard not to waste time philosophizing and rationalizing the different things happening in her life. She looked at herself at the mirror as she was just about to be finished with her skin care routine. She felt slightly ridiculous but she thought she needed some words of encouragement from herself to shove her ass to the right direction.

"Rin. Calm down. Take deep breaths, you'll get over this. Clear your mind and take things slow. Don't lose sight of what it is you really came here for." She said to her reflection on the mirror.

Taking a deep breathe, she walked out of the bathroom and went back to her room to get dressed. She mindlessly took out some clothes from her closet and put them on. She looked at herself at the floor length mirror in her room. She was wearing a white cotton camisole and a loose, faded jean short overalls with the hem loosely folded up to the middle of her thighs. She gazed out the window as she felt the cold wind caress her bare arms. Realizing it's still too cold to not wear some additional layers, she grabbed the thick oversized gray cardigan that her obaa-chan knitted for her. Satisfied with the extra layer she added, she grabbed her classic white canvas Keds and put them on. She finished dressing up and put her hair on a low loose bun with some of her fringe falling to the front of her face.

She grabbed her duffle bag, the garment bag with her dress, and a small white and black leather sling purse with panda-style design and draped it across her body from her shoulders. She decided to just wait at the loading stop in front of her apartment's building so she wouldn't have to rush down the building when they arrive.

She went down the building and sat on one of the benches on the loading stop. She set down her duffle and garment bag next to her and the purse on her lap before she took out her phone to text Kagome. She was about to open their conversation thread when a black expensive looking car halted in front of the loading stop. The windows on the co-pilot side rolled down revealing the sunglasses-covered face of the president on the driver seat.

"Get in." He said simply.

"Maru-onii-chan, I told you to be nice." Said a girl from the back of the car whom she recognized as Kagome, in a half complaining, half reprimanding tone. The windows at the passengers' area rolled down as well revealing Kagome and an annoyed Inuyasha with a very evident vein popping on his forehead, matching the slightly annoyed shift on the president's features.

"Yah, Kagome, I told you not to call him that. Omae, Sesshomaru, stop being an asshole." Inuyasha said further irritating Sesshomaru with his bickering.

"Rin-chi, you sit at the front and the bags stay here with me and Inuyasha." Kagome said as she pointed to the seat next to the president.

She deposited her bags next to Kagome and Inuyasha, then went in to sit at the front while saying a low and soft 'sumimasen'.

Without a single word from the president, the car sped up towards the road to Nara. Rin just sat there awkwardly and stared straight ahead at the road in front of her. She tried to steal side glances of the president as he drove, taking notice of how his face remained perfectly stoic and focused on the road. Her sight slowly trailed down the thin pinkish line that his lips were pursed into, and slightly blushed as the thought of the sight of him and Kanna in the student council room. Once again, she tried to push those thoughts further back into her mind.

She retreated her gaze back to where it should be, the front of the car where the road seems to be swallowed up by the speeding of the car. After a few minutes or so, she felt so silly for staring so straight onto the road and the growing stiffness of her neck reminded her of how unnatural and uncomfortable she must've looked. She took a deep breath and used that motion to shift her gaze down to her lap where her hands were lightly fidgeting with the folded hem of her overalls. The car ride was so silent and devoid of conversation especially since Kagome and Inuyasha already fell asleep in the backseat. Although she wasn't alone with the president in the car, she still felt some anxiety rising up within her knowing that they were the only ones awake. This anxiety she feels around the president is something that continues to puzzle her. She thought back to when she started feeling it, she always believed it was during that time he mistook her for an assassin sent to kill him, but then she knows that it was from that very first time she saw his face and his striking golden eyes that she started having this strange anxiety that seems to be tugging at her insides. From then, whenever she sees him, there seems to be this weird sensation that renders her awkward and speechless around him just like at this moment. Despite her usual outgoing and composed personality and her ability to hide her own troubles and discomfort, when it comes to him, all of those things seem to crumble and fade away.

She sighed as she felt like the thoughts she's currently having are not helping her figure out anything about why she feels that way. Just when she was going to steal another glance at the president, she stopped herself, realizing that she's been doing that since she got into the car. With that realization, she consciously put in effort to constantly police her self from stealing glances at him. She tried to focus on the minimal music that played in the car's speakers and recognized the cool symphony of brass, piano, and an upright bass that makes up beautiful jazz tunes. Now that she was focused on the music, she realized that the playlist is from the president's phone as it was displayed on the dashboard entertainment system's Bluetooth information. It surprised her that the president's choice of music includes something so calming like jazz, although when she thought about it, se realized that it somehow complimented his icy personality. She herself loves jazz and the smooth tunes helped calm her anxiety, although she feels like the calming effect has more to do with the small delight that came from knowing that they liked the same music, rather than the sound itself.

They spent the rest of the drive to Nara enveloped in that comforting swaying of the jazz melody, and Rin no longer found her hands fidgeting the hem of her overalls and she just let herself be swayed by the relaxing scenery of the Nara countryside without having to force herself to look at something else besides the president that remained oblivious to the effect he has towards the small raven haired girl that sat next to him in the car.


End file.
